Economist's World View

I am reading Tim Harford's "The logic of life". I read his "the undercover economist" in Chinese translation, Harford's work was not much my cup of tea then. However, "The logic of life" started with very interesting opening, the game theory. The mathematician, Von Neumann vowed to decode the highly irrational human factors in poker game with mathematical modeling (whether he had succeeded or not is still of a question, at least I cannot quite see). We all respond to incentives, we trade in everyday life, making decisions in the hope of being better off. Harford tries to find out answers to our everyday life, such as why oral sex has increased dramatically among teenagers or why the lobbyists only protect a handful number of people's interest without being scrutinized by the public. The heartbroken facts about life, racism. Why is that companies respond to "white" sounding name resumes more than "black" sounding name ones?

In fact, every chapter is equally engaging. The particular chapter is about marriage. Marriage is basically an arrangement in response much of economic sense. A factory is more efficient when workers have a particular skill and the collabration of workers with different skills speeds up the productions. The union of a girl and guy is much like this, a family produces desired well-off feelings, such as stablity and share of offspring rearing. Man tends to be the breadwinner, not necessary because he is good at it, most likely because he would create a mess if staying home taking care of kids.

It is a bit scary to see marriage as a contract to create a economical agreement. However, if you think really into it, that's indeed what's going on for anyone in it, you give what you can (willing to give) and harvest the fruit out of it.

Exhausted

Warren Buffett once said to be successful in life, you don't need to make the right decision every single time, you just need to make a couple of right ones. When there is a clear goal, you spend less time wandering around. I admire those who don't stay overtime in work yet make both the bosses and cutomers happy. He/she has pioritized the duties, there is no need to detail attending every single emails. Most of the emails are junk anyways. It also creates better working relationship with your colleagues, at least you are more predictable instead of going around pleasing every one on both sides. I am not saying that I would rather work with slickly, sinister, finger-pointing backstabbers. But I am feeling tired explaining the same design/logic/piority over and over again, the next day, the same questions and blank-looking face re-appear. Perhaps I should be smart enough not to be bothered.

There is another type of coworkers that could wear you out, the senseless ones. Those you would like to slap some senses into their heads, be wary, they cannot be reasoned and are helplessly stubborn. The danger is always that they think they are doing the right thing (in the name of project/customers), they appear honest and firm but, in my experience, they create the worse damage than the naive type we discuss earlier.

Working smart is much more efficient then working hard. I guess I was naive and stubborn the first few years of my career. Oh well, I owe a lot of debt to people I worked with before.

Re-Stage of GString-san

For those of you who are really interested in GString, I met with GString-san again this Saturday. I was sitting in the bench waiting for the hourly clean up, GString-san walked toward the bench in my direction, holding a little piece of face towel at the 2 corner of it, covering up his package. I only recognized him as soon as he turn around.

Sailor Moon

It was really a hot day yesterday, we skated 13.5 km and I went home like a cooked shrimp.

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I postponed my pilgrim trip to Kyoto for the Zen class this weekend because there was this so-called very special farewell concert of the Akihabara band on Saturday and the inline skate slalom practice on Sunday. Compounded that I have a party to go to next Friday in Nagoya, gee, I'd better save money by going to the west in one trip next weekend.

My colleague, M, is the very much fan of those young bands. The singers are usually 16 years old school girls and base/guitarist are men (Cannot quite tell their ages, they all dress the same way, very pronounced coloured hair and big pair of sun glasses though the hall is very dark). M kept telling me how exciting/innovative the musics are and how friendly the fan club people are, when I arrived to the heart of odaku (geek) heaven, I knew immmidately that I should not be so trusting.

The so call fans are mostly middle-age men and balding (it would be an interesting study to find out if there is a correlation of liking some 16 year old sailor uniform dressed singer and balding). The younger looking people are all nerdy, yet trying very hard to make themselves look cool by micmicking the guitarist's hair style or put on funny cowboy hat. OMG, it would be more effective if they spend one hour in gym or just simply go jogging in the morning. OK, I do not discriminate nerdy or geeky people (in fact, most of my university friends are of those types) but for some reasons these geeks are a bit revolting.

After a long wait, finally the first singer appears. She looks like one of those amine girls, big eyes and light brown curly hair in little cute pink dress. Everything about her is cute (kawaii) but you don't see anything else other than that. My friend managed to find me a spot at very front, he wants me to experience the craziness and fun, I resigned the moment all those middle-age, balding uncles(ojisan) started to jump up and down and waving their arms like mania when the cute girl sang her cute songs (I cannot quite tell one from another, they all sound the same). Soon the tiny, badly ventilated concert hall was filled with men's sweat, body order and breath. I quickly retired to the pub outside and tried very hard to sterilize myself with a lot of gin and tonic.

What is the Japanese man's complex about cute and pink girls? Why are those fans cheering and chanting exactly the same way? Why are those bands playing more or less similar music/songs? What are they getting from this mania-like cheering? So those people can bond with each other?

I like young girls as well (nothing kinky about it, I just think young people are naively brave). But I like to see them as individual on their own right, everyone has her/his own personalities and quirkiness, that's why it is interesting. Unfortunately, I just don't see it that night.

You are the Roller Blades You Wear

I have seemed to write too much about my rollerblade events, however, I cannot help it unless there are more interesting happening at work. This rollerblade group assembles people from different age groups, different cultural backgrounds and different way of making our livings. The only command thing among us is the drive to roam around the city on wheels.

It is very interesting to observe the linkage between roller skates and the owners. You will see the showy type, who wears skin-tight racing suit, futuristic sunglasses and helmet, carries with them the most professional looking blades. Yet the down-to-earth type wears the functional ones. The inline skate kid type wears the funky looking blades, earthy yet subtly showy. I am the practical and sensible type, middle price range skate, the only thing makes me look crazy is that I wear no guards.

While I was talking to Chin-san about my observation, the young kid went though the crowd knodding, agreeing with me. He bursted out laughing when our scrutinizing glaze falling upon a middle-age guy who looks nerdy with messy hair. His blades are products about 20 years old, battered and not cool looking at all. I was a bit embarrassed but Teru-san immidiately scolded Chin-san. Japanese education teaches kids to conform and empathize, or perhaps this comes naturally with aging?

To Be or Not to Be

Listening to my Tokyo friend's match making arrangement stories is quite a fun thing. There are a lot of unspoken rules and etiquette in this whole process. For example, although you are starving to death, you cannot initiate the thought of going to dinner since the guy should take the lead of the whole activity, such as what and where to eat.

Since the date is fabricated and artificial, the guy is often very afraid of showing too much aggression such as agreeing to a dinner. My friend had only tea and a small piece of cake from 4pm to 8pm, when they finally bid each other farewell.

What's more, the converstaion topics are very limited. She asked what he usually does when he's free, he said he likes to take vitamins. How strange yet so politically correct, you won't expect him to say the truth such as I am a odaku and like to read AV mangas when I have free time.

Sunday 8 Hour Roller-Skate

My new rollerskates, I was so excited that I can finally go faster and farewell my Oxygen, purchased in big 5 on El Camino when living in California.

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We started from Ueno park every Sunday at 9:30 am, it was a bit of a struggle for me to get up today because of the strange hangover attack initiated by mixing Macoli and draft beer. Meeting those familiar faces again is very nice, though we just split after the party like 10 hours ago. Amanda was intoxicated and managed to put her pasmo (a touch on train pass) into the tiny opening for real train ticket. She had to get the station manager to retrieve her pasmo card, miraculously, undamaged.

We continued our journey through Tokyo station, passing prime minister's residence, having coffee break. Going through Asakasa, ending in Aoyama park where we usually picnic and practice tricks. I took another bad fall today, thankfully I have fatty tissues in good places.

We decided to rollerskate back to Akihabara, usually only Chin-san, Amanda and Teru-san would go with me. But today we have a rather large group, some crazy nut cases came, 8 of us were skating like mania again. So we skated another 2 hours on the street, and stopped by a famous taiyaki shop where we consumed the steamed hot cake filled with redbean paste. Then, more skating.

Went home so exhausted, I was only able to record this crazy journey after 3 hours of sleep. But funny that I had such a strange dream about my high school friends, her 2 year old daughter, her father, my parents and my brother's family were all hanging out together. So real that it tooke me a couple of minutes to figure out that I am in Tokyo alone after waking up.

Rain Woman

I was named the rain woman because, after I started participating the group's activities, the rollerskate nuts were not able to do a couple of Sunday City Run and last night's Saturday Night Skate due to rain. I said that must be because of my new rollerblades, I should use my old blades next time.

It was rainning so hard that we had to go straight to our party place. The regulars and not quite familiar faces all turned up, we had to keep adding chairs to almost 30 people. We went back in time, laughing like school kids, totally out of control. Anything small things tickle the crowd to cheer. When the electricity went out for a couple of seconds, someone started to sing happy birthday (I guess that's the only song that penetrates language barrier) though no one is having birthday. The Korean friend taught us to mix Macoli with draft beer, it is so delicious that everyone is drinking cloudy bubbly mixtures.

I moved to another table that no people spoke any English, but abvious half drunk. They kept cheered me with shoujiu and said "ChinChin". Before I showed the mischievous smile, the chef friend said "cheers in Italian". So I started to tell them the story in my broken Japanese that when I first went to Osaka a couple years ago, my friend told me Kansai people say "chin chin wa dou" as "how are you". Of course, it means how is your penis and all my Osaka friends were cracking up so hard when I thought I was saying how are you.

Without failure, the story cracked up everyone (oh well, jokes related to sex organs are universally cheered, it is such a taboo to talk about in every culture, so interesting). Then my chef friend tried to introduce me the couple sitting across the table, said they were just married. Without thinking at all, I asked "chin chin wa dou"?

Pre-war education in Japan

I am almost finishing the last chapter of "Dogs and Demons, the falling of modern Japan". I can feel that why some of my Japanese friends commented this book overly sentimental and melodramatic. Alex Kerr was born and raised in Japan, however, I do not agree that many of his points in his book, of course, this only came clear to me after 3 years coming back to Asia. He is seeing Japanese society with a pair of American's eyes. There are certain rules of games what cannot be explained. Like if you are trying to explain why the Wall Stree is still the white man's ferternity club and why US is supporting Iserali unconditionally?

Anyhow, he is still not bullshitting too much. There is one chaper dedicating to the education system. He compared the pre-war education system to post-war, which government had started to regular the contents of teaching. He found that the Japanese culture's blooming era was funded by people from pre-war education, where no rigid control was exerted. Thus, Japanese people in their 70s or 80s today have the most sharp togue and liberal thinkings, hard to find the same qualities with younger generations.

When a society matures to a certain level, where everyone is comfortable, that's only natural that people want to preserve the way things are. At the same time, if you look at Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, that's where many unrested souls are fighting for better world. Perhaps, we can see those area step into Japan's track in a decade.

Career Planning

My rollerblade friends. Chin is from China, so young and green. Amanda is from Singapore, wondering aimlessly in Tokyo. Teru is one strange Japanese who likes to watch Taiwanese soap opera, thus, speaks good Mandarin. We hang out together most Sunday after the skating.

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I forced myself to go out interviewing every one year or so. It is a very interesting way to feel the pulse of the market and make sure you are paid the market worth. However, it is also a very good way to learn how to bluff and see how mean people can be.

I had one very scary interview with the investment bank in New York. The technical test can be easily passed given a couple of days of preparation. The psychological grilling was the real killing. The trading floor rewards people well if you can take the abuse and violence. Traders are basically all 5 years old in Amani suit, they scream and swear when things don't go their way.

The people seeing me were all sharp and quick. I think I was intimidated the moment I walked into the floor. One of the managers asked me how much I am making and how much salary increases I have earned. He wanted to know why he should hire me (this type of bloody blunt questions are really good and scary, you have to be so sure of yourself to answer it well). The manager's body language was all showing impatience and "why am I wasting my time with you". I went back to the hotel and slept right away to ease the emotional trauma, but woke up in the middle of the night sweating.

I was not confident enough and yet too naive, I might be eaten alive if hired. I am sure I can do better if going there again, I will walk into the trading floor as if I own this place and perhaps throwing a couple of comebacks.

I am recently interviewing people, I find myself talking and behaving like the mean manager in New York i-bank. I would set up traps, inducing the interviewees to agree with my thinking then turn around to question why if it is so, why that is not so. Most of them couldn't turn around quickly enough. I cut out interviewee's answers if they are not concise. I guess they would think twice whether to work with such a smart ass if joining the company.

Why Japanese wife stays home?

That's really puzzling, in Taiwan, most of my friends' mothers work when we were kids. When we are old enough to get married, all my friends continue working until the day the baby is due (no joking, Grace was working until she was rushed to the hospital). It is very complicated why Japanese ladies choose to stay at home. The thing is, if they go out working, there is no daycare center where they can leave their kids, yet if they are lucky enough to find one, her salary will go to the daycare center. Besides, women is not pay as much as men with the same position. I think Japanese girls were forced to stay at home due to the society strucutre and culture.

The First Lady

I was very interested in the news about next Taiwanese president's family. I am particularly interested in his wife. Though Ma is the mayor of Taipei, she takes bus to work every day, doesn't apply make up nor wear expensive jewelries. She is herself, wearing convervative style of clothes, taking bus to work every day. She could be the last person in Taipei possessing no mobile phone. She said "I will be either home or office, if you cannot find me there, I will be in a meeting and cannot answer the phone, no need to have a mobile". She is not considering leaving her job to become the full time first lady.

I like her right away. This is a person with value and independent thinking. She doesn't need to use her special status to make money, show off, be popular in order to feel she is better than any one else.

There is an old Chinese saying, if you don't have desire, you are invincible. Material desire easily destroys and corrupts people.

Gay Bar California

Having a conversation with a friend about how he attracts gay guys rather than women, which reminds me of my gay/lesbo encounter in California. I was freshly out of school, green and naive. Living in Silicon valley is so much like living in another huge university campus, everyone is nice and friendly. The weather is like virtue reality, I had blue sky and sunshine every day.

James was our HR manager, taking part in the sinking boat because I had to join at least 2 or 3 farewell lunch/drink/dinner every week. That was the dotcom boom, everyone is leaving to become a multimillionaire. I was not touched (only too happy to have a job from the cold and dead Toronto job market) and thought, well, if people kept leaving in this rate, I would become a director in no time. James was a friendly chap, I think he likes me because of my naiveness and purity. He is out of closet gay, he was holding back and didn't tell me whereabout his hangout is. A couple months later, he gave in.

James is flameboyant, stylish, not entirely girlish (you can feel the manhood in him). I was very suprised to find out his secret hiding, which was a seedy, rundown community pub in the quiet end in Mountain View on El Camino. I thought he would hang out in those posh, snobish and seemingly sophisticated (but at the end of day, we are just 5 year old and are too scared not to look sophisticated) places. And, most of all, it is a Karaoke bar, and everyone there is gay, from the bartendar to the Karaoke man, they are all down to earth and friendly. I love the place right away.

Not really being hit on by lesbians, just one woman old enough to be my mom (but have the boyish hairdo and stocky body build) was making a pass to me. The Karaoke crowd loved me, we sang and dance together (because i was not afraid of making fool of myself by singing and backup dancing for others). Ha, those were the good old times.